SportMalta, the government entity for sport, is going through a very exciting period in the run-up for the Maltese presidency of the EU, with its commitment not only to make a difference in Maltese sport but also to give its contribution on the European fora.
For this reason, a two-day National Sport Forum is being held at the Kirkop Sports Complex this week.
National federations, associations and clubs registered with SportMalta are the major stakeholders in local sport but this week’s forum is also intended to reach out to those who can benefit from sport and physical activity as well as other sectors, civil and private, that have an interest in the sport industry at large.
The Malta EU presidency and its relevance to the sporting community are the main themes of this forum, during which the country’s priorities to encourage volunteering and social inclusion through sport will be explained and discussed, based on the European Strategy 2020.
Consequently, together with the European Commission, a sports work plan is being devised for the coming years.
SportMalta recognises the significance of European funds as a means of assistance to sports associations and therefore the latter are being presented with the necessary skills to be able to tap such funds.
As part of its recent reform, SportMalta has now opened its own EU Affairs Unit.
The forum will go beyond this as it will also address other issues such as the commercialisation of sport facilities and a new land acquisition procedure for sport utilisation, two initiatives that were included in the government manifesto.
SportMalta also felt the need to discuss current and controversial topics that are affecting sport.
The challenges posed by responsible betting will feature in the forum. Although one understands the hard task of controlling such betting, it is SportMalta’s responsibility to tackle such issues and demonstrate that betting with responsibility is not only possible but it can be a means of financial gain to the sports. It is the entity’s intention to launch an educational campaign in the near future.
Another discussion will centre on the parents’ role in their children’s sport commitments.
What decisions should a responsible parent take? Up to what extent should a parent interfere with the child’s decisions?
With Malta hitting the highest statistical charts as the most obese country in the EU year after year, the forum will also look into how sport can be a crucial factor in combating such indicators.
A number of seminars will precede the forum and key observations resulting from such debates will be presented to the participants.
Positive attitude
Areas such as the role of the civil sector in sports, the contribution of NGOs to attract youths to the sport, the challenges of Gozitan athletes, the link between education and sports and also the involvement of the media as a means to provide a representation to the general public will be the themes of the seminars.
The forum’s ultimate aim is to generate positivity on the current sports situation and this will be achieved through the stories of some of our most successful athletes.
The message will be clear: What we lack in quantity we make up in quality, and that we should all be proud of our achievements.
The government’s objective is to generate awareness that employment opportunities exist within this sector.
The National Sport Forum presentation will be enriched with the participation of high-level speakers hailing from different countries.
These include Yves Le Lostecque, head of the Sport Unit at the European Commission, Agata Dziarnowska, policy officer within the Sport Policy and Programme Unit, Marijke Fleuren, president of the European Hockey Federation, Nicola Pietrangeli, a former French Open winner, and Marcello Presilla, integrity executive at SportRadar.
Ultimately, these discussions will lead to proposals and good practices for both SportMalta and the government to taken on board in the years to come.